Cendre
by theaxolotlfan
Summary: When Edd's parents are taken by an organization, Edd vows to do anything to get them back, even if that means becoming a pawn. Based off the song Cendrillon sung by Miku and Kaito. Characters, cover art, and the song belong to their rightful owners.
1. A Fateful Evening

Edd strolled into the ballroom, glancing around from behind his black domino mask. Others in masks danced or chatted over food and drinks. Blondes, brunettes, and ravenettes alike filled the room, but Edd was searching for a specific redhead. Kevin Barr. That was the name they told the raven-haired boy anyways. The heavy dagger in his pocket was a painful reminder of what he needed to do, but if it would save his parents, so be it.

" _Kill Kevin Barr."_

Those words were still fresh and clear in his mind. It shouldn't be too hard to kill a man you don't know… right? Edd sure hopped so, he hopped he could go through with this. He just wanted his parents to be safe. Lost in thought, Edd had zoned out while he walked, literally running into someone who was walking the other direction, causing him to fall back. Strong arms quickly wrapped around his thin body, stopping him before he hit the ground. When warm green met striking blue, both boys felt a spark.

"Hey… Are you alright?" The redhead asked. Edd nodded.

"Y-Yes, thank you… Uh…"

"Kevin. The name's Kevin."

Kevin… This must be the man. He certainly matched the description. "Thank you very much, Kevin. I'm Eddward. Some people call me Edd or Double D though."

"Double D? Why?"

"Because there are two Ds in my name."

"Weird," Kevin replied and Edd nodded a little in agreement. He had to admit, it was a little strange. "Would you like to join me for a drink?" Kevin's voice brought back Edd's attention from the spelling of his name.

"I'd love to," Edd smiled a little, showing a bit of his gap. Kevin smiled back and led the shorter man to over to the drinks, getting each of them a glass, handing Edd's to him.

"I haven't seen you around here before," Kevin commented, taking a sip. "Did you just move to the area?"

Edd shook his head, "No, but I've never been to a soirée before so I've had no reason to be in this part of town until now."

"Oh, really? Well, what do you think now that you've been to one?"

"It's been lovely so far, though I've only been here long enough to run into people." Edd smiled and Kevin chuckled. The two soon finished their drinks and set their glasses down. Kevin waited for the next song to be played before offering his hand to the sockhead.

"May I have this dance?"

"Why of course," Edd smiled shyly and set his hand into the other's, allowing himself to be led onto the dance floor. They danced until Edd's legs grew tired, the raventte was beginning to feel like he was in a fairytale. Cinderella. That's who he felt like, captivated by magic the ball cast over him.

Though, just like Cinderella, his fairytale would end at midnight, the magic would wear off, and his prince gone forever. The white-masked redhead began to lead Edd off the dance floor when the smaller man stopped.

" _Kill him. Do it now. Take away everything he has. He doesn't deserve it anyways. Do it. Do it now, while you have the chance."_

He looked around, finding himself being stared at by many different couples, all of them wearing the same light blue mask and the same fake smiles. Their stares spoke for them, screaming at him to do it and warning him of the consequences if he backs out of it. Kevin noticed how much paler the young man was and how anxious he seemed.

"Edd? What's wrong?"

"H-Huh? Oh… I'm just getting a little sick of this crowd…" Edd gave a half-hearted smile of reassurance. Kevin held out his hand to him, his outstretched fingers luring him to follow.

"Let's go outside then, there won't be anyone else but you and I."

Edd set his hand in Kevin's, the two of them hurrying from the room as if taking their time would shatter the night and separate them. They sat on a marble bench once they reached the courtyard, Edd sighing softly in relief now that he could no longer hear those pressuring voices. He lifted his gaze to the clock tower and fought tears that threatened to spill over as he realized he only had a few more minutes until his fairytale became a tragedy.


	2. Shattered Fairytales

"I didn't realize it was this late…" Kevin had followed his gaze to the clock.

"Time does seem to fly by when you're having fun," Edd looked over at him with a small smile.

The redhead nods and stands, gently taking his hand, "Yeah, but the night's not over yet. Come on, let's go take a walk." The blue-eyed boy smiled softly and held his hand back, getting up. The two walked hand-in-hand out of the courtyard and to the garden, strolling through the large area. Edd looked around in wonder at the many different flowers there. He was able to name most of them, mumbling some of their names softly as they walked by them.

Kevin couldn't help but to smile a little at the shorter boy's knowledge on flowers. It was kind of cute. By the time they had made it halfway around the labyrinth of a garden, the clock struck twelve and Edd froze. The emerald green eyes of his prince turned to him.

"Edd? What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing, I have to go," Edd slipped his delicate hand out of Kevin's larger one and began to run through the garden.

Kevin hesitated for a moment, confused, before running after him, "Edd! Wait! Come back!" Edd's evening was slowly unraveling, just like Cinderella's. But unlike her, he didn't have a glass slipper to leave behind for his Prince Charming to find. The ravenette kept running, trying to find an exit. He reached a short set of stairs, leading to the lowered center of the garden. He took them two at a time, the chiming of the clock and the bubbling of a nearby fountain drowning out their footsteps. He stopped when he felt Kevin grab his wrist on the twelfth strike of the clock.

"Why are you running away? Did I do something wrong?" Kevin frowned, baffled by the sudden change in the other male's behavior.

Edd tried to pull out of his grasp, his voice shaking as he held back tears, "I-It's complicated, Kevin. P-Please, just let me go." The redhead frowned and pulled the shorter boy close when he felt him shiver from the cold and dread.

"I want to know why you ran. I'm not letting you go that easily, not without seeing you face first, I need to see you again after tonight."

"No, you don't!" Edd shouted, letting out a choked sob, looking up at the taller male. Said man raised a hand to remove his own white mask.

"Edd, you can trust me," Kevin tried to reassure, wanting ever so desperately to remove the other's mask and wipe his tears away. Edd hesitated before nodding slightly, giving Kevin the confidence to remove the mask with one hand and gently caress Edd's cheek with the other. The younger man leaned into the other's soothing touch, closing his eyes. "I promise you that everything will be okay." Edd opened his eyes and looked up at the other at those words.

He wanted to believe them, he honestly did. He wanted to pretend that nothing bad would happen tonight, but pretending was for dreams and fairytales; it didn't have the power to affect reality. Fresh tears sprung into his eyes at the realization that he let this go too far. Kevin put his own mask in his pocket and handed Edd his before trying to wipe away every tear that fell. The blue-eyed boy put his mask in his pocket as well, letting his hand find the handle of the dagger, fingers wrapping around it like vines.

Kevin was too focused on trying to get the other to stop crying to notice him slip the dagger out of his pocket and hide it behind his back. The moon cast a radiant veil over the ravenette, making the older male fall even more for the mysterious boy. All he wanted was to see him happy again. Kevin thought his smile shined brighter than the brightest star and it made his heart skip a beat every time he saw it, but now all he felt was heartbreak at the sight of his Cinderella breaking down before him.

"Is there anything that I can do to make it better..?" Kevin asked, hoping he could do something. His hopes rose when Edd nodded but what he said made his heart sink.

"Yes, run or let me run… Don't try to look for me… We can't be together."

"Why not?!"

"Because if we stay together we'll only be in pain!" Edd pulled away from Kevin, wiping his own tears away with his free hand. "Please… I don't want you to get hurt."

Kevin swallowed hard and hesitated for a moment before speaking, taking a step forward, "No. I… I'll stop whatever it is that'll hurt us. Just don't go." Edd squeezed his eyes shut when the taller man stepped closer, his body surging forward with a sudden impulse that shot through him like electricity. His eyes flew open when Kevin's breath caught, horrified blue met shocked green as the silvery thread of the dagger sliced through the redhead's white tuxedo.


	3. Caught

Sorry it took so long for this chapter. A few things I want to mention before reading: Duclein is, obviously, a fake name for an imaginary nation and Aoric is my own OC that I specifically made to play the part of the guard/officer/whatever-you-want-to-call-him because I felt that none of the other characters would really fit that role. Also, thanks to everyone who has been supporting me and offering me encouragement, seeing that people enjoy this story always makes my day. Alright, I'm done with my little ramble. Enjoy!

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Edd watched in horror as red dyed his prince's white suit, he quickly pulled out the dagger and flung it to the ground in disgust. The blood-covered blade bounced off the stone path as Edd lurched forward to catch the falling redhead before his head hit the ground. He gently lowered him to the floor, Kevin's eyes were still wide with shock.

"K-Kevin!" The ravenette's eyes filled with tears as he gently set his hand over the other's. The taller's emerald eyes no longer had their bright shine as he gazed up at him, reaching a hand up to wipe away tears that fell from bright blue eyes. He wanted Edd to know this wasn't a one-sided love story. Edd quickly looked up when he heard a scream. It came from a blonde in a blue and white ball gown who quickly ran off inside to get help.

Edd turned his attention to the bleeding man on the ground, holding his hand tightly, his voice coming out in a strangled whisper. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" He bowed his head, letting out a sob as Kevin weakly squeezed his hand. Soon a small flock of nobles had rushed out, hurrying to Kevin's side. They pushed Edd back, leaving him excluded from the circle that was working frantically to stop the bleeding. They carefully picked up the redhead and brought him inside, all but one leaving. A young man with dark blue hair and steely gray eyes approached the shorter male, the tails of his tail coat billowing slightly in the wind.

"Did you see who did this." His deep voice spoke it as more of a statement than a question. The man wasn't about to accuse him on the spot but he had his suspicions. Edd looked up at him, meeting his cold gaze for a brief second before looking down.

"I-It was me…" The ravenette confessed, squeaking as the man grabbed his wrist, pulling it behind his back before repeating the action with Edd's other arm.

"Then, under the Duclein laws, I place you under arrest for attempted murder." The man began reading him his rights as he lead him away, but Edd was too shocked to listen. So many questions ran through his head, it made him dizzy to try and focus on them all. Was Kevin alright? Would the organization kill his parents? What was going to happen to him? Would he be killed too if Kevin died? If Kevin survived, would he hate him for what he did?

He blinked when they turned away from the mansion the ball was being held in, surprised to see that he was being brought to the town. He looked around as they walked, most of the shops were still open, considering the ball had been reserved for nobles. The man stopped at a small, stone building, getting out his keys to unlock the wooden door. Edd was brought inside, his eyes struggling to get used to the dark room as he was pushed away from the man. He heard what sounded like metal sliding against stone and the turning of tumblers.

Edd squinted when an oil lantern was lit, illuminating the small building and the cell that the man had locked him in. The man sat in a chair and got out a quill and paper. "Name please."

"E-Eddward Vincent. Eddward is spelt with two Ds after the E."

The man nodded and wrote it down on the paper, falling silent as he continued to filled out what seemed to be a form, signing his name on the bottom before filing it away. He turned and got up, going to a small closet to get out a wool blanket and a battered pillow along with a pair of brown, cotton trousers and a white, cotton shirt. He slipped them through the bars for the other.

"Put these on and give me your clothes and whatever else you have on you."

Eddward nodded and turned away from him to change, trying to ignore the fact that he was being stared at. He turned back around once he was done and handed him his clothes and his domino mask. The only thing he kept was his hat and the man decided to leave it be, taking the clothes and mask to lock them in the closet. The man went and sat at the desk again, propping his feet up on it. Edd watched the man silently, as if trying to figure out his personality like a puzzle, to try and figure out if he was in any immediate danger. He almost wished he had the dagger with him, then he realized…

"Uh… Mister…"

"Aoric."

"Mister Aoric, I don't think I saw you grab the dagger… That's a key piece of evidence."

"I'll have someone else get it. I have no intention of touching it." Aoric visibly shuddered at the thought. "My employer should be here soon, he will most likely have it with him. Until then, you should rest. I'm sure the interrogation will take a while."

Edd nodded and settled himself on the floor, resting his head on the under stuffed pillow and pulling the blanket up over his shoulders, closing his eyes and falling into a fitful sleep.


End file.
